Post by Katy Mae on Feb 28, 2013 6:22:21 GMT -5

I think I suck at the search function on this board... Trying to find some good tent info, recommendations and what not, but my searches brought nothing back and I KNOW tents have been talked about a lot. Anyone help??Our last tent was a Coleman and was perfect for our needs but it only lasted two Roos. Something that sleeps 4 people and is sturdy, of course. Kelty keeps coming up in my searches on Amazon - reputable brand?

The Kelty tent my parents bought when I was a very small child and used for yearly trips is the same tent that got me through all my music festivals and general camping trips, right up until this fall when it finally failed, after 20+ years.

Post by popsicle sarah on Feb 28, 2013 6:26:30 GMT -5

Sweet - thank you! I think I have it narrowed down a bit, I'll have to check that one out a bit more and compare everything. What do you think is better, a rainfly that only covers the top of the tent or a fly that covers the whole tent? Reason I'm asking, I too LOVE the cross breeze, and I'm considering more or less a tent with a ton of "windows". Only thing that will suck about the whole tent being covered by the fly is if it does actually rain - no ventilation But if it doesn't rain, it'll be really cool at night with the possibility of a cross breeze.

I don't like tents that have the rain fly that covers the whole thing... if it rains you have no ventilation at all. With the tent I have, the rainfly covers the windows a bit so I can still unzip them a little and it's mesh at the top so there's plenty of ventilation. Imagine that it's 80 degrees at night still, it's raining, and your rain fly goes to the ground. You will sweat your booty off.

Post by skiny on Feb 28, 2013 8:26:24 GMT -5

im losing the tent all together this year. going for a cot under my ezup and bringing extra tarps to wall off any potential rain. i am not a morning person and theres not much worse than the heat forcing you to wake up after a long night of roo. ive seen a few good deals on cots here so far but still have to pick one out.

Post by odysseus on Feb 28, 2013 16:27:52 GMT -5

im losing the tent all together this year. going for a cot under my ezup and bringing extra tarps to wall off any potential rain. i am not a morning person and theres not much worse than the heat forcing you to wake up after a long night of roo. ive seen a few good deals on cots here so far but still have to pick one out.

Haven't bought mine yet but I'll be getting an EasyCot from Byer of Maine. They have several cots to chose from though. All are pretty reasonably priced compared to what I've seen.

Post by o'neil on Mar 1, 2013 0:05:08 GMT -5

I got the blue one. I'm betting most everyone got the blue one; it's so pretty.

You can add me to the blue camelbak club. I didn't even realize the daystar came in other colors. Mine arrived today and I'm going to go on a hike on saturday to test it out. I'm so stoked.

me too! mine should be here tomorrow, I was so excited to see the email that it had shipped. it's my first official purchase for this year's roo and especially after missing the last two I cannot wait to be back on the farm

Post by gunnzablazin on Mar 1, 2013 8:41:53 GMT -5

I got the blue one. I'm betting most everyone got the blue one; it's so pretty.

You can add me to the blue camelbak club. I didn't even realize the daystar came in other colors. Mine arrived today and I'm going to go on a hike on saturday to test it out. I'm so stoked.

Mine came yesterday, too! I was almost crying with joy when I opened the box. I'm trying to decide if it's socially acceptable to just wear it around town this weekend while I run errands. Just kidding. I don't care if it's socially acceptable. I'm wearing it everywhere I go.

Post by gratefuled on Mar 1, 2013 9:11:24 GMT -5

Double screen doors, zip-up screen windows on all sides, and vented at the top (ventilation is key for me when it comes to a tent). The rain fly can be a bit tricky to put on, especially in the wind because it basically makes a kite with the poles. Put it together a few times before roo and it won't be an issue. I've put the thing up by myself before. I've slept 4 people in it (3 on a queen mattress and 1 on a twin) at Bear Creek. Make sure you get a can of seam sealer and apply before use (though I've never had an issue with it leaking and I used it for a whole season without sealing it). Watch the price for it... I got it in 2011 for $50 and it's been through two seasons worth of festivals and camping trips.

edit: This is actually the one that I have which is 10x8. The one posted above is 12x10.

Sweet - thank you! I think I have it narrowed down a bit, I'll have to check that one out a bit more and compare everything. What do you think is better, a rainfly that only covers the top of the tent or a fly that covers the whole tent? Reason I'm asking, I too LOVE the cross breeze, and I'm considering more or less a tent with a ton of "windows". Only thing that will suck about the whole tent being covered by the fly is if it does actually rain - no ventilation But if it doesn't rain, it'll be really cool at night with the possibility of a cross breeze.

I don't get these tents with the bikini rain flys. We get sideways rain here in Tennessee. I remember during that Thursday squall in 2009 the guys next to us all had soaking wet sleeping bags because they had that kind of tent. I'd say spend a little more and go for something with a full-sized fly. It won't circulate air as well with the fly on, but you can always take the fly off if the forecast is dry.

Post by greta8402 on Mar 1, 2013 16:19:43 GMT -5

im losing the tent all together this year. going for a cot under my ezup and bringing extra tarps to wall off any potential rain. i am not a morning person and theres not much worse than the heat forcing you to wake up after a long night of roo. ive seen a few good deals on cots here so far but still have to pick one out.

i have decided to do the same. i'll still have my tent, but sleeping on the cot under the ez-up sounds way better than cramming into my 5'x7' tent. i got lucky and got a really nice alpine cot on steepandcheap for about twenty bucks.

Post by gratefuled on Mar 1, 2013 16:26:21 GMT -5

im losing the tent all together this year. going for a cot under my ezup and bringing extra tarps to wall off any potential rain. i am not a morning person and theres not much worse than the heat forcing you to wake up after a long night of roo. ive seen a few good deals on cots here so far but still have to pick one out.

i have decided to do the same. i'll still have my tent, but sleeping on the cot under the ez-up sounds way better than cramming into my 5'x7' tent. i got lucky and got a really nice alpine cot on steepandcheap for about twenty bucks.

This is the beautiful thing about EZ-ups: they're height-adjustable. You can extend the legs to full height during the afternoon when people are stirring, then drop them to half-height for maximum AM shade when you're sleeping.

Post by o'neil on Mar 2, 2013 9:17:26 GMT -5

hi all, still new to these boards and loving all the great shares! I have to admit though that I am getting a little obsessed with planning for roo this year

thought I would share a deal on a tent I found for $199.88, normally $369.99. since I am camping with kids I probably need more space than a lot of you but it looks like a solid buy with pretty good reviews.

*a little off-topic: we are camping in VIP, so hopefully will have room for this tent (10x15) plus an EZ-up... if anyone has thoughts/feedback on that please let me know. I don't want to be the a-hole taking up too much space...

Post by popsicle sarah on Mar 2, 2013 15:45:33 GMT -5

I don't get these tents with the bikini rain flys. We get sideways rain here in Tennessee. I remember during that Thursday squall in 2009 the guys next to us all had soaking wet sleeping bags because they had that kind of tent. I'd say spend a little more and go for something with a full-sized fly. It won't circulate air as well with the fly on, but you can always take the fly off if the forecast is dry.

The windows and doors zip up? I've been through storms in this tent and never had a drop of water leak in.

Post by cdevaney on Mar 2, 2013 16:13:58 GMT -5

After more than ten years and nine Roos with my last tent it is time for a new one. Found this Coleman tent for $101 on Amazon so I took a shot. (I splurged for the theoretically unneccessary rainfly.)

Post by gratefuled on Mar 2, 2013 20:31:07 GMT -5

I don't get these tents with the bikini rain flys. We get sideways rain here in Tennessee. I remember during that Thursday squall in 2009 the guys next to us all had soaking wet sleeping bags because they had that kind of tent. I'd say spend a little more and go for something with a full-sized fly. It won't circulate air as well with the fly on, but you can always take the fly off if the forecast is dry.

The windows and doors zip up? I've been through storms in this tent and never had a drop of water leak in.

It comes in through the mesh panels of certain models that are built like that…but not yours, I guess, which is a good thing...

Post by Madeline on Mar 3, 2013 8:03:45 GMT -5

This is only good today, but 20% off your entire in-store purchase at Big Lots. They have a decent amount of camping stuff. My sister and I got camp chairs with attached foot stools that are actually crazycomfy. They have a bunch of lighting and stuff, too.

Searching around on Walmart's site made me see if they sold First-Up canopies anymore. For now, it doesn't seem so, but they now have an Ozark Trail canopy with good reviews for $90.

I got my EZ Up from Sears. Right now, it's on sale for less than $65!! www.sears.com/e-z-up-sierra-ii-8482-canopy/p-00622710000P (just keep in mind the top is more like 8x8 since the legs are slanted and bottom of legs is where it measures 10x10, but I've never really had a big issue with that. I just can't use shade walls made for other straight leg canopies, but that's fine since sheets are still easy and breathable to tie to the sides.) ***If interested, grab this quick: "Online Only! Extra 10% off Fitness & Sporting Goods Sold by Sears. Offer valid thru 3/4 at 7am CT. Offer ends 03-Mar-2013"

Post by Madeline on Mar 3, 2013 15:10:33 GMT -5

I got my EZ Up from Sears. Right now, it's on sale for less than $65!! www.sears.com/e-z-up-sierra-ii-8482-canopy/p-00622710000P (just keep in mind the top is more like 8x8 since the legs are slanted and bottom of legs is where it measures 10x10, but I've never really had a big issue with that. I just can't use shade walls made for other straight leg canopies, but that's fine since sheets are still easy and breathable to tie to the sides.

edit: nevermind, after reading the reviews I see that it's cheaper because this is just the screen attachment to go over the canopy. Strange; we bought ours several years ago and only paid like $20, and it's the whole canopy; the screen part is attached to the top (all one piece). Maybe we just got lucky and got it on clearance; I honestly can't remember.

I'd still like to know if this would work for roo; I never see anyone mention using a screen tent as opposed to an ez up.

edit: nevermind, after reading the reviews I see that it's cheaper because this is just the screen attachment to go over the canopy. Strange; we bought ours several years ago and only paid like $20, and it's the whole canopy; the screen part is attached to the top (all one piece). Maybe we just got lucky and got it on clearance; I honestly can't remember.

I'd still like to know if this would work for roo; I never see anyone mention using a screen tent as opposed to an ez up.

There are different styles of canopies that aren't like these pop-up EZ Up/First Up types that are cheaper usually. Those have lots of pieces and aren't quite as quick and easy to set up or adjust the leg height. From my own experience, I don't find those to hold up nearly as well. They bent more easily and whatnot. With wind and pouring rain at a small festival, I had bought and used a used 1 screened in canopy from Craigslist, and after that...had to throw it out. Stuck with the pop-up EZ Up or First Up since. They take more room to pack, but I've used it more often. That screened in 1...I know I bought it used, but it seemed ok when I bought it. I let a friend borrow it for Roo once, and then I used it at a fest and then it didn't hold up anymore.

If yours is a decent brand and still that same pop-up style, then hopefully it should be fine, I'm thinking... some of these pieced together kinds don't always hold up though. I'd definitely make sure to tie down the corners and whatnot (and your tent too) with guy lines. Just try to add some bright tape or put some lighted stakes or something where the rope/guy lines are so people dont trip over it.

Post by Cokes on Mar 3, 2013 22:13:54 GMT -5

I got my EZ Up from Sears. Right now, it's on sale for less than $65!! www.sears.com/e-z-up-sierra-ii-8482-canopy/p-00622710000P (just keep in mind the top is more like 8x8 since the legs are slanted and bottom of legs is where it measures 10x10, but I've never really had a big issue with that. I just can't use shade walls made for other straight leg canopies, but that's fine since sheets are still easy and breathable to tie to the sides.

Use the promo SEARS2013 for another $5 off! Free in store pick up.

Sold. Thanks for the heads up. You are both welcome to come by my camp for a beer for being awesome. We'll be in pod 1 and will have a giraffe as a camp marker!

Post by KDHarvey on Mar 4, 2013 15:46:43 GMT -5

im losing the tent all together this year. going for a cot under my ezup and bringing extra tarps to wall off any potential rain. i am not a morning person and theres not much worse than the heat forcing you to wake up after a long night of roo. ive seen a few good deals on cots here so far but still have to pick one out.

Haven't bought mine yet but I'll be getting an EasyCot from Byer of Maine. They have several cots to chose from though. All are pretty reasonably priced compared to what I've seen.

Just a shoutout for buying from a Maine producer! I'm a Maine native so I like that haha